Jackie Stewart is the executive editor of American Banker Magazine. Previously, she covered breaking news, community banks and mergers and acquisitions for American Banker before being named as the managing editor of the Credit Union Journal. After graduating from Northwestern University in 2006, Jackie taught for two years in the Bronx, N.Y., through Teach for America.
A dozen banks from Arkansas to Virginia are nearing $10 billion in assets, where they will face higher compliance costs and caps on interchange fees. Mergers among those institutions could create a new class of regional bank.
About a fifth of regional banks look at their efficiency ratios as they set executive compensation. Ongoing revenue challenges and investor pressure could push more boards to consider efficiency or simple cost-cutting to determine pay for high-level officers.
The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions closed the $67.1 million-asset North Milwaukee State Bank on Friday.
The Hall of Fame manager, who won three World Series, told bankers at a recent conference that trust, integrity and communication are critical to success. La Russa also shared tales from his storied career, including accounts of managing the likes of Rickey Henderson and Chris Carpenter.
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump received support from 83% of attendees polled at the Independent Community Bankers of America's annual convention. The results were more pronounced compared with a similar poll by the Consumer Bankers Association, where Hillary Clinton edged out Trump.
Regulators want to know how banks are planning for the future, particularly in the face of competitive threats such as marketplace lending and added scrutiny over the use of third-party vendors.
Changes to mortgage disclosures rules implemented in October continue to frustrate community bankers and is just another example of the struggle to stay independent.
Rebeca Romero Rainey, incoming chairman of the ICBA, would like to see the financial services industry add new banks and younger bankers in coming years.
Mergers of equals are hard to complete due to cultural issues, but a spike in consolidation paired with weary leaders and a lack of young talent could make such combinations more appealing.
Texas has had a fair share of M&A since the financial crisis, but deal volume has declined since oil prices began to plummet in late 2014. Uncertainty over sellers' exposure and depressed stock prices for aspiring buyers are largely to blame.